Some scientific foundations for voice restoration.

Laryngeal cancer, though not high in incidence, may have a devastating effect on the affected individuals' total adjustment. Esophageal speech, while a desirable form of substitute speech, cannot be learned by all, thus requiring a re-evaluation of the artificial larynx and consideration of such special operations as that of Dr. Ryoso Asai. The acoustical characteristics and deficiencies of all pseudo voices are stated and discussed. The female voice is generally identified as such. Methods for the prognosis of learning speech include a systemic questionnaire for pre-evaluation which was based on behavior patterns of the laryngectomee.